National Smile Month is organised and run by the British Dental Health Foundation, a charity dedicated to improving the oral health of the public by providing free and impartial dental advice, educational materials and national campaigns, such as National Smile Month 2012! 

Poor oral health doesn’t just cause problems inside the mouth.  A smile is hugely important to our personalities, self-confidence, relationships and success.  General health is also at risk too as studies continue to associate poor oral health to serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes, pneumonia, premature babies and other major conditions.  With a good oral health routine, most of these conditions are preventable.

Facts and Figures – A third of all children starting school have tooth decay. Around a quarter of all adults say they have not visited a dentist in the past two years. Three in every ten adults suffer from regular dental pain. A quarter of adults don’t brush their teeth twice a day and over four-fifths of the population have at least one filling.

National Smile Month promotes three key messages, all of which go a long way to improve oral health in the UK.  They are: -

• Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste;
• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks;
• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

Other ways to improve oral health include: -

• Clean between your teeth with interdental brushes or floss at least once a day;
• Use a mouthwash as part of your regular oral health routine;
• Chew sugar-free gum in between meals to help protect your teeth throughout the day;
• If you wear dentures, clean them twice a day.

The Priory Dental Care team would love to help you get smiling!  For further information on how to get your smile back, please speak to your Dentist or Hygienist at your next visit.  You can also obtain further information by clicking on the following link – http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org/page/your-oral-health

Most people know that sugar causes tooth decay but did you know that it is not how much sugar we consume that causes decay but how often we consume it?

Every time we eat or drink sugars the bacteria in plaque turns it into acid which attacks the teeth by dissolving the tooth surface away i.e. Tooth Decay.  Within 5 minutes of eating or drinking, the bacterial plaque creates acid, however it can take up to 60 minutes for your saliva to neutralise this acid and stop the attack.  This means if you have breakfast, decay starts in 5 minutes and can last up to 60 minutes, a mid morning drink or snack results in another 60 minutes of acid before normalising; lunch causes another acid attack; afternoon drink or snack another; tea or dinner another 60 minute block of decay; and an evening drink or snack yet another.  Therefore your teeth are under attack from decay nearly all day and will eventually be damaged.

By eliminating sugar from your routine daily diet, and limiting consumption to special occasions, tooth decay will stop.  So, when you’re inundated with chocolate eggs this Easter, be kind to your teeth and eat them all at once!

Wishing you a Happy Easter from the Priory Dental Care team.

We are taking on new private patients, and what better than a recommendation from you, our valued patients!

If you have a friend who would be interested in joining our practice, please pass on our patient referral card for your chance to receive a £10 gift voucher for Reeds of Downham Market.

Your friend will also be rewarded with a 15% discount off their initial examination fee (normal cost £65.00), saving them £9.75 on their first visit.

Simply pick up one of our patient referral cards from reception, write your name and contact details on the card and then give the card to a friend. When you friend presents the card at their first appointment, we will contact you so you can collect your voucher.

For further information, terms and conditions please speak to one of our friendly receptionists who will be happy to help.  This offer is only valid using an official patient referral card (available from reception).  Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends on 31st December 2012.

Thanks to your help in 2011 we raised a grand total of £482.13, plus Gift Aid for charity!

We raised £28.63 for Dentaid by patients kindly donating their loose change to the collection box in reception.  For further information on the valuable work that Dentaid provide, improving the oral health within the developing world, please click the following link www.dentaid.org 

We sold our old, disused dental crowns and bridges for scrap metal, raising a further £83.00 which we donated to the Downham Market & District Macmillan Cancer Support.  For further information about how Macmillan Cancer Support improve the lives of people affected by cancer, please click the following link   http://www.macmillan.org.uk

In September some of the team took part in a 5 mile sponsored walk in aid of The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House.  This years theme was the ‘Pirate Promenade’, so we hobbled from Heacham to Hunstanton and back, raising a total of £363.50, plus Gift Aid.  We also regularly donate our used printer cartridges to the Downham Market hospice shop for recycling.  For further information on the valuable work that The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House provides, please click on the following link www.norfolkhospice.org.uk

During November, we raised £7.00 by selling blue ribbon badges for Mouth Cancer Action Month.  For further information about the Mouth Cancer campaign please click the following link www.mouthcancer.org

As ever, the Priory Dental Care team will continue with our fundraising efforts in 2012 and we will keep you updated with all forthcoming charity events.

We are delighted to announce that Vickie is now a fully qualified Dental Nurse after successfully completing the Level 3 NVQ in Dental Nursing.  Vickie joined the practice in 2008 as a Trainee Dental Nurse and has been working hard for the past 3 years in order to gain qualification.

We are all extremely proud of Vickie’s achievement and know she is going to have a great career as a Dental Nurse with us.  Well done Vickie!!

In the UK mouth cancer is diagnosed in more than 5,000 people annually and kills almost 2,000 people each year – that’s one death every five hours.

Prevention is key and lifestyle choices can reduce significant threats of mouth cancer.  Excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, chewing tobacco, poor diet and HPV (human papilloma virus) are all significant risk factors – those who both smoke and drink to excess are up to 30 times more likely to develop the disease.

Professional check-ups and regular self-examinations are the best route to early detection of mouth cancer.  Early diagnosis saves lives, improving survival chances from just half of cases to more than 90%.

Regular visits to your dentist will ensure you are professionally screened for signs of mouth cancer.  At Priory Dental Care oral cancer screening is included at every routine dental examination.  Please feel free to ask your dentist about the process and mouth cancer risk factors.

Self-examination is a simple, potentially life-saving process.  Early warning signs to look out for:

• Ulcers which do not heal within three weeks
• Red and white patches in the mouth
• Unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth

Remember the campaign tagline – “If In Doubt, Get Checked Out.”

If your mouth is a concern make an appointment with your dentist or GP immediately and make sure they know your worries.  For more information on mouth cancer please visit the website: www.mouthcancer.org

Some of our patients may have noticed that two members of the Priory Dental Care team, Rosie and Caroline, had been getting steadily bigger over the summer months.    Well, we are pleased to announce that both babies have now arrived safely and both mums and babies are doing really well.

Rosie’s little boy, Finley, was the first to arrive at the beginning of September, weighing in at  8lb exactly.  New mum Rosie says she’s enjoying every minute of motherhood.

Caroline’s little girl, Philippa, arrived 3 weeks later, weighing 6lb 1/2oz.  Caroline’s other daughter, Georgina, is loving helping Mum look after her new baby sister.

Both babies have already visited Priory Dental Care for cuddles from the rest of the team, and we all agree they are totally gorgeous!

Whilst Rosie and Caroline are enjoying their time off with their new babies, we are delighted to welcome two new members of staff, Marie and Jenny, who are both doing an wonderful job helping us out whilst Rosie and Caroline are away.

Dr Hui Sing Lim

We are delighted to announce that Dr Hui Sing Lim BDS, MFDS RCS (Eng) will be joining us in September 2011, to take over the care of Dr Rebecca Patterson’s patients.  As well as looking after our existing patients, Dr Lim will be very happy to welcome new patients to the practice also.

Dr Lim qualified at the University of Bristol in 1999.  She started her dental career as a Vocational Dental Practitioner in Bury St Edmunds.  She then went on to become the Senior House Officer in Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn.  In 2002 she gained the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MFDS RCS Eng) and has also worked as an Associate Dentist in practices in Hertfordshire and South Norfolk.  She has lived in Norfolk for many years with her husband and two children.  In her spare time she enjoys reading, swimming and long walks on the beach.

As a dedicated member of the Priory Dental Care team, Dr Lim will be delivering the same high standard of care as Dr Patterson and she is very much looking forward to meeting her new patients.

Dr Patterson would like to take this opportunity to thank all of her patients for their support and friendship over the years, and both patients and the Priory Dental Care team wish her all the very best for the future.

On Friday 2nd September 2011, some of the Priory Dental Care team took part in a 5 mile sponsored walk in aid of The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House.  This years theme was the ‘Pirate Promenade’, so we donned our eye patches, waved our cutlasses and hobbled from Heacham to Hunstanton and back again, raising a total of £363.50… Aarrr Jim-lad, that we did, that we did!!

The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House cares for people with cancer, neurological and other life-limiting conditions to enable them to live life to the full for whatever time is left. The physical, emotional and spiritual support the Hospice gives to patients, families and carers is provided completely without charge.

(left to right) Jenny, Vickie, Tina, Sheila, Charlotte & Marie

The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House cares for over 280 people every month of the year at the hospice and in people’s homes.  Their aim is to ensure that their patients, and those close to them, can live life to the full and experience peace, respect and dignity to the very end of life.

Why They Need Your Support – It costs nearly £1 million a year to run the Hospice.  Only 15% of this comes from the NHS.  85% of their costs are paid for by people like you – the individuals, organisations and groups who give generously.

For further information on the valuable work that The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House provides, please click on the following link www.norfolkhospice.org.uk

Please help us to raise as much money as possible.  We would be grateful for any donation you can give, no matter how big or small.  You can still donate online through our JustGiving page – please click the following link  www.justgiving.com/priory-dental

Thank you for your valued support.

The Priory Dental Care team celebrating Dr Martin Stewart's retirement

It was a sad, sad day on Thursday 30th June 2011 when Dr Martin Stewart, the founder of Priory Dental Care, put down his drill for the very last time.

The practice team were delighted to join Dr Stewart later that evening to celebrate his retirement; starting with drinks at the practice, followed by a meal at Dang’s Thai Restaurant.  Everyone had a lovely evening and enjoyed reminiscing about their time working with Dr Stewart.  He will be sorely missed by the whole team.

Dr Stewart first set up his own practice in Paradise Road, Downham Market in 1980.  Three years later, he bought the present building in Priory Road and had worked here in general dentistry ever since. 

As a first step towards retirement, Dr Stewart sold the practice in October 2010 to Dr Lui Cheung.  He initially stayed on as an Associate for Dr Cheung, working three days per week.  In April he reduced his time to two days per week, until stopping completely on the last day of June.  Dr Stewart is now looking forward to doing some of the things that his time as a dentist had not previously allowed, such as cycling and bird watching.

Dr Stewart would like to take this opportunity to say that it has been a privilege treating his many patients over the years and he wishes them all the very best for the future.

At Priory Dental Care, we understand the importance of keeping up-to-date with new technologies, materials and techniques, to enable us to provide the best quality of care to our patients.  We are therefore very pleased to announce that we have recently invested in a Digital X-ray processor.

Digital X-rays provide higher resolution images than with chemical film which allows us to gain optimum image quality.  It also enables the pictures to be viewed almost immediately as well as enlarged or enhanced for clearer diagnostics.

Also, since the image is captured electronically, there is no need to develop the x-rays, thus eliminating the disposal of harmful waste and chemicals into the environment.

X-rays help your dentist to find problems early on, so that they can be treated before they get worse. Early treatment generally costs a lot less as well.   Although a tooth may look healthy on the outside, tooth decay can often be present in between teeth or under fillings, which is not always possible to detect on a visual inspection.  X-rays can also be used to identify infections in the root, missing bone around the teeth, the condition of wisdom teeth and to detect the growth of adult teeth in children.

When an X-ray is taken, the radiation used is potentially harmful. The radiation dose from a dental X-ray is extremely small and the risk is negligible. Nevertheless, X-rays will only be taken when clinically necessary, with your consent and following an explanation.  

Please tell us if you are, or think you might be pregnant.  Evidence shows that there is no perceptible risk to the baby or the mother, so we should be able to take routine dental x-rays, however we will discuss this with you before proceeding.

Thanks to your help in 2010 we raised a grand total of £1369.06 for charity!

In May some members of the Priory Dental Care team entered the Downham Market Lions Club Mega Quiz winning first prize of £200.00, which we donated to Dentaid.  For further information on the valuable work that Dentaid provide, please click the following link www.dentaid.org 

In September, the whole Priory Dental Care team took part in a team relay, either walking, running or cycling a leg of the 26.2 mile course, raising a total of  £1064.06.  For further information about how Macmillan Cancer Support improve the lives of people affected by cancer, please click the following link   www.macmillan.org.uk 

During November, we raised £25.00 by selling blue ribbon badges for Mouth Cancer Action Month.  For further information about the Mouth Cancer campaign please click the following link www.mouthcancer.org

We also sold old, disused crowns and bridges for scrap metal, raising a further £80.00 which we donated to Bramble Animal Sanctuary in Denver, Downham Market.

The Priory Dental Care team will continue with our fundraising efforts in 2011 and we will keep you updated with all forthcoming charity events.

Dr Lui Cheung

Priory Dental Care was established by Dr Martin Stewart in Priory Road, Downham Market in 1983.  To cope with increasing demand we were joined by Dr Rebecca Patterson in 2006 and we are now very pleased to announce the arrival of Dr Lui Cheung, D.D.S. to the practice as its new owner.

Dr Cheung qualified at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden in 1999.  This institution is famous for holding the responsibility of selecting and awarding the annual Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.  Dr Cheung began his dental career working at an International medical centre in Bejing, providing care to foreign dignitaries visiting the Chinese capital.  He then returned to Sweden and worked in general practice in Kronoberg County.  He is married with one daughter and moved to England in 2006, working in Cambridge and Reading, before settling in Norfolk in 2008.

Dr Cheung and his family, very much enjoy making their home here.  Their interests include swimming, going to the gym, football, table tennis, camping and travel.  He is delighted to be the new owner of Priory Dental Care.

Dr Stewart will remain at the practice and, although he has no immediate plans for retirement, he will be reducing his hours as a necessary stepping stone towards the day when he will stop working.

Leg One - Carol, Caroline and Vickie outside the practice, about to start off

The Priory Dental Care team are pleased to report that, on Sunday 19th September, we successfully completed our team relay in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Norfolk, raising a current total of £1064.06, including gift aid.

We fought against the wind and rain to complete the 26.2 mile course in just over 4 hours.  Carol, Caroline and Vickie started off at 10am from the practice in Priory Road, walking along the river bank, in the rain, to Stow Bridge, where they met Rebecca and Rosie on bikes.

Leg Two - Rebecca and Rosie cycling through Denver

Rebecca and Rosie had the longest leg; cycling from Stow Bridge to Barroway Drove, along the river bank, in a strong head wind, to Denver Sluice, then to Ryston, Bexwell and Downham Market, where they were overjoyed to finally pass the baton on to Martin and Marie.

Leg Three - Rosie and Rebecca handing over the baton to Marie and Martin in Downham Market

Leg Three - Martin and Marie running towards The Hare Arms at Stow Bardolph

Martin and Marie ran down to the traffic lights and headed out of town along Lynn Road, crossing the A10 into Stow Bardolph, where they met Tina and Sheila outside The Hare Arms.  Whilst Martin and Marie enjoyed a sneaky drink in The Hare, Tina and Sheila cycled towards Crimplesham, through West Dereham to Ryston and Denver, over the footbridge into town and back to the practice in Priory Road, with the wind having battered them all the way.

Leg Four - Tina and Sheila cycling towards the finish

Despite the occasional muttering of “Whose idea was this?!” from various red-faced (or in some cases ‘green-faced’), exhausted team members, we did have fun along the way, and there was lots of encouraging tooting and waving from passing motorists to lift our spirits.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone that has sponsored us, to our various family members for dropping us off or picking us up from our change over points and to Trish and Dave at The Hare Arms for kindly allowing us to make a collection on their premises.  Thank you all for your valued support!

Money raised from the event will fund Macmillan’s increasing range of services, including Macmillan nurses, doctors and other health professionals, new cancer care centres, a range of cancer information, practical help at home and help with money for cancer patients both locally and nationally.

For anyone that would like to make a contribution, you can still donate online at www.justgiving.com/priorydental

As a special treat, the Priory Dental Care team are rewarded to an annual staff outing.  It’s a great opportunity to socialise, have fun and to strengthen the team bond.  Previous outings have been a leisurely day at Newmarket Races, catching a show at the Theatre Royal and boating on the Norfolk Broads.  But this time, we thought we’d be a bit more adventurous and try our hand at Segway at the High Lodge Forest Centre in Thetford Forest.

We were given some initial tuition, to establish how competent we were at controlling the segways and, thankfully, it was deemed we all were safe enough to be let loose.  We spent the next hour whizzing around the forest paths, covering ourselves in mud, laughs and screams aplenty.

A great time was had by all, and we’re pleased to report that no-one suffered any permanent damage.  The next question is, what are we going to do next year?!

For the last 12 months Marie has dedicated most of her spare time to working towards the Level 4 BTEC Professional Diploma in Dental Practice Management.  The course involved, amongst other things, producing evidence in the form of:

• Case studies
• Workplace projects
• Quality assurance
• Practice policies, procedures and protocols

Congratulations to Marie who achieved this qualification with a ’Distinction’, which is the highest possible level obtainable.  Not only is this a great achievement for Marie but it also highlights the exceptional level of commitment at the surgery and the investment into the future of the practice.

Sheila, Louis, Marie and Tina being presented with the winners shield and a cheque for £200

On Friday 7th May some members of the Priory Dental Care team took part in the annual Downham Market Lions Club Mega Quiz.   The team of four comprised of Sheila, Marie and Tina, with Louis kindly stepping in at the last minute.  We optimistically called ourselves ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ and battled our way through some difficult rounds.  The competition was tough but, to our delight, we won first place!

First prize was a cheque for the sum of £200 to be donated to the charity of our choice.  We decided to donate the prize money to Dentaid.  Dentaid is one of the leading charities in improving the oral health within the developing world.   They have helped establish over 100 regional referral centres and outreach treatment programmes serving disadvantaged communities around the world.  Conservative estimates point to over one million patients a year receiving safe and effective relief from pain through these Dentaid funded treatment centres - patients who otherwise may still be living with their pain or risk life threatening infection from seeking relief through blacksmith or DIY dentistry.  For more information on the vital work that Dentaid provide worldwide, please click on the following link www.dentaid.org

Our winners shield will take pride of place in reception for the next 12 months for all to see.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening and are looking forward to taking part again next year to see if we can retain our crown!

TePe Interdental Gel with Fluoride

TePe Interdental Gel with Fluoride is a mint flavoured gel, specially designed for easy use with TePe Interdental Brushes.  Fluoride can help to strengthen the enamel and slow down the demineralization process.  The gel is free from abrasives for smooth, gentle cleaning in the approximal area (between the teeth) and provides a fresh feeling, not only between the teeth, but in the entire mouth.   

TePe Interdental Brushes